The Lands Between is a dangerous place where you are always at risk of being attacked. The nature of threats you face depends on various factors like the area, type of enemy, your gear, and character level. So, you must prepare to dodge, parry, and counter these attacks accordingly. For instance, most enemies in Limgrave are low-level and deploy melee attacks for physical damage.
In this case, you must pay more attention to resistance against physical attacks. Similarly, the enemies in Caelid and Raya Lucaria Academy will cast magic attacks on you. So, you must know how to parry spells in Elden Ring, as your normal defense gear is useless against it. This article provides a detailed guide about deflecting Parry Spells in Elden Ring.
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How to parry spells in Elden Ring?
Now that you know that it is impossible to resist magic attacks with ordinary gear, the question is how to parry them. As metal cuts, metal and glass cut glass, in the manner only magic can save you from magic attacks. Unfortunately, there are only two ways to parry magic in Elden Ring. The good news is that you don’t need a high character level to equip them. Moreover, you can easily acquire these incantations without going through the trouble of slaying the hardest boss in the game.
The parrying magic in Elden Ring works in two ways. Firstly, you can use it as an Ash of War on your shield to deflect the magical and physical attacks. However, you must block with the shield every time, or else you will receive the damage. Without this incantation, all shields can only resist physical attacks and pass the magical attacks. Similarly, the magical spell produces a barrier around you for a short time. This Barrier can deflect the physical attacks and parry the magical attacks just like a shield.
Thop’s Barrier: The Ash of War
The first way to parry magical attacks is Thop’s Barrier Ash of War. It is an incantation that you can apply on all small and medium shields. It enhances the power of the shield to deflect magical attacks as well as physical attacks. However, you must block in the direction of the attack to parry it, like you do with melee attacks. The good news is that the shield will absorb all magic without passing even -1 HP damage to you. Moreover, it also works if multiple enemies cast magic at you simultaneously.
So, if you prefer a Strength oriented character build that uses a shield for block, this Ash of War is a must-have for you. Applying this incantation to your favorite shields can give you a plus point in regular encounters and boss battles. Furthermore, the magic resistance of your shield will scale with different stats builds like Intelligence and Focus. So, you should expect something extra whenever you invest a few points in these categories.
How to get Thop’s Barrier Ash of War?
Thop’s Barrier is possessed by a Scarab in Liurnia of the Lakes. You must slay the beast to obtain the Ash of War from its corpse. Sounds easy, right? Well, there’s a catch, this Scarab is different from anything that you have ever encountered. The beast teleports to an entirely different location when you attack it. So, not only you must be precise in your attacks, but you also know where to find it in case you miss that golden shot.
Start at Liurnia of the Lakes and mount your Torrent towards the center of the lake. Continue riding till you reach the ruins of Temple Quarter Site of Grace. From here, head northwest till you reach a small island. Initially, the Scarab will be at the top of the highest hill at the center of the island. Make your way to the top to encounter the special beetle. Carefully approach the Scarab and use the strong attack of the most powerful weapon you possess to finish him in one blow. However, if you miss the attack, the Scarab will teleport to either the west or east side of the island.
So, now you must make your way to one point at a time till you find the beast. Again, if you miss the shot, the beetle will either teleport to the initial location or to the other side of the island. This cat and mouse chase will continue till you finally kill the Scarab. Once you slay the beast, search its corpse to receive the Thop’s Barrier Ash of War.
You can now use it as any regular Ash of War, i.e., by resting at any Site of Grace and applying it to your shield. Alternatively, you can visit the Smithing Master Hewg at Roundtable Hold to ask him to apply the Ash of War on your shield for a few runes. In any case, once you have the incantation, you can parry all magic attacks the same way as you deflect the melee attacks.
Thop’s Barrier: The Spell
Thop’s Barrier is available in two forms in the game. You can get its spell version to parry physical and magical attacks with a single spell. When you cast the Thop’s Barrier spell, a barrier will be formed around you for a short time. Any attacks coming your way during this phase will be automatically parried away from you. Moreover, you don’t need to be facing toward the attacker to parry as the Barrier covers you from all sides. Lastly, the spell only costs 7 Focus Points, so it won’t drain your FP bar very quickly.
The Thop’s Barrier spell requires 18 Intelligence to cast it in the first place. However, it also scales when you invest more points to the Intelligence stat. So, the Barrier will last longer if you spend enough skill points on Intelligence. This version of Thop’s Barrier is potentially suitable for all players who prefer a magic-oriented character build. In my opinion, all magic builds must use this spell instead of the Ash of War as a shield doesn’t really suit the character.
How to get the Thop’s Barrier Spell?
Acquiring the spell version of Thop’s Barrier is a bit more complicated than the Ash of War. For instance, you can only get it by completing Thop’s questline and searching his corpse. Before you open the Raya Lucaria Academy, head to the Church of Irith in the south of the Liurnia of the Lakes. Look for an NPC named Thop at the church and interact with him to start the questline.
He will ask you to bring him an Academy Glintstone Key. However, you can’t give him the first one as you need it to open the gates of the Academy. Now, unlock the Academy and make your way through the dungeon till you reach the rooftop. Look for a place named the Church of Cuckoo to get the second Academy Glintstone Key.
With the second key in your possession, return to the Church of Irith and again speak with Thop. Give him the second key to the Academy and exhaust the dialogue. Next, rest at any Site of Grace and return to the Raya Lucaria Academy. Head towards the Schoolhouse Site of Grace and explore the area till you find the rotating wheel. You will find Thop dead behind the wheel for some reason. Search his corpse to find the spell version of Thop’s Barrier.
Place the Thop’s Barrier spell in one of your Quick Spell slots to use it as a shield. From now on, whenever you feel like someone is about to launch an attack on you, quickly press the spell button to cast a protection barrier around you. This Barrier works like a shield against physical and magical attacks. However, you must have at least 18 Intelligence to cast the spell.
What is the better option?
In my opinion, both versions of Thop’s Barrier have some importance for various character classes. For instance, if you have a Strength-based character build and you use a shield all the time for defense, the Ash of War is the best option. The original power of the shield will grant you protection against melee attacks, while the Ash of War will save you from magical attacks.
Similarly, if you use a magic-based character build, then the use of a shield seems unreasonable for you. In that case, the spell version of Thop’s Barrier seems like the better option. Casting the spell will build a magical barrier around you that protects you from physical and magical attacks from any direction. Moreover, if you don’t like using a shield with your Strength-based character, the spell version would serve you well.
FAQs
How to buy Thop’s Barrier spell in Elden Ring?
Firstly, you have no need to buy the spell as you can easily get it from Thop’s corpse in Raya Lucaria Academy. However, if you really must buy the spell for some reason, you can buy it from the Twin Maiden Husks at the Roundtable Hold after acquiring Thop’s bell bearing.
How to parry magic attacks without the Thop’s Barrier spell?
If you don’t like to cast a magic spell all the time, there is an alternate way as well. First, travel to the island northwest of the Temple Quarter Site of Grace in Liurnia of the Lakes. Next, go to the island’s highest point and slay the teleporting grey Scarab to acquire Thop’s Barrier Ash of War. You can apply this Ash of War on all small and medium shields by resting at a Site of Grace or by visiting the Smithing Master Hewg at Roundtable Hold.
Is there any other way to defend against magic in Elden Ring?
Fortunately, the Lands Between is full of items that offer resistance against various forms of magic. Among them, Thop’s Barrier and Master Lusat’s robes and helmet are the best ways to resist almost any magic attack. The major benefit of Master Lusat’s gear is that not only it protects you from magic but also boosts the Stars of Ruin incantations.
How to parry any attack in Elden Ring?
The best way to parry all attacks in Elden Ring is to use the Thop’s Barrier. There are two versions of this incantation, i.e., the Ash of War and the Spell. You can apply the Ash of War to any small/medium shield to add magic parrying ability to it. Alternatively, you can cast the spell version of Thop’s Barrier to produce a magical barrier around you that parries all attacks coming toward you.
How to complete Thop’s questline in Elden Ring?
Thop’s questline is a simple one that doesn’t include slaying monsters and bosses. Instead, you must visit him at the Church of Irith prior to unlocking the Raya Lucaria Academy. Afterward, unlock the Academy and get the Academy Glintstone Key from the Church of Cuckoo. Give the key to Thop at the Church of Irith, rest at any Site of Grace and return to the Academy to get Thop’s Barrier Spell and his bell bearing from his corpse.
Conclusion
Different enemies in Elden Ring use various forms of attacks to kill you. The nature of these attacks depends on the area, the type of enemy, and the character built. Therefore, you must prepare yourself for all types of situations before visiting a new area. Usually, resistance against various physical attacks is possible with different defense methods. However, parrying a magic attack is the only way to dodge it. This article explains how to parry spells in Elden Ring without receiving any damage.
